Shelby County again seeks end to juvenile court oversight

Shelby County again seeks end to juvenile court oversight

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee county has once again requested a complete end to federal supervision of its juvenile court system.

The Commercial Appeal reports that Shelby County attorney Kathryn Pascover sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice at the end of June asking for the remaining sections of its memorandum of agreement to be terminated. The DOJ began oversight in 2012 after a report found failings in the juvenile court system, including discrimination, unsafe confinement conditions and lack of due process.

The DOJ ended several subsections of the agreement last October, citing substantial compliance but noting an assessment found race still impacted the court’s decision-making.

The most recent monitor’s report, from June 6, cites remaining concerns, including psychiatric evaluations and the number of minors still transferred to adult court.